Autumn rocks: a day on the Alps above 2000
Human signs
   
Armored paths
All roads lead to … ?
… the peak!
Way too late back home
“1000 meters up, 1000 meters down” – PART II
From end of PART I: […] the wind raised up bringing creepy noises from the dark forest… suddenly sleeping among the ferns lost its appeal: time to look for a shelter!
Mobile phone batteries and flashlights discharged in a couple of hours. We then waited for the end of the long night in the cold darkness. Then dawn, at last!
The familiar panorama came back to life. Towards East were Stromboli and Panarea, still no lights on the islands. We were now looking for sunlight like plants for photosynthesis …
A couple of early boats towards East, 1000 meters down. And here it is, from behind a wall of clouds on the sea, here it comes, the night-long awaited Mithras, Ra, Helios: his Majesty the Sun!
Time to say goodbye to our night-shelter. No light, no fire, no bed, but so happy we found four walls and a cold floor in the darkness. The 1000 meter-long descent can start!
1000 meters down on steps: Nature talks, birds sing … hikers crawl down in silence through stairs and ferns.
Then first signs of human presence appeared along the path, fences and vineyards welcomed us back to civilization.
Step by step, the “1000 meters up, 1000 meters down” was ended. An event to celebrate … with some rusty and warm but still amazingly refreshing water 🙂
Pictures shot with Nikon D800 (0.9 Kg) plus Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4G (0.3 Kg) or 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR-II (1.5 Kg) or 16-35 mm f/4 (0.7 Kg) with Manfrotto 055XProB tripod (2.9 Kg) all packed into a Lowepro Flipside 400 AW (1.6 Kg) – Click each picture of PART I and this last PART II to enlarge.
“1000 meters up, 1000 meters down” – PART I
“If you wanna have a stunning view on Sicily and all Aeolian islands, hike up in Salina island to the 1000 meter-high Fossa delle Felci (Fern Crater), and climb down next morning after the sunset” – and so we did. Of course with tripod, camera, lenses, filters, batteries, remote control and even water, we left useless sleeping bags home: “We will sleep among the ferns!” – the photographer said with excitement!
From the shores of Capo Faro we first followed signals to Valdichiesa, a monastery at the feet of the volcanic peak, to then proceed towards Mount Fossa: the crater at 1000 m.s.l. was waiting for us!
We would have loved to “pick” some Sicilian cherry-tomatoes from the monastery yard for dinner, but the shield was clear: “It is strictly forbidden to collect tomatoes”. We left the monastery and started the long uphill.
Soon the forest roof covered our heads: in this tree labyrinth shields with different shapes showed us the way to the top.
In the few forest openings, the stunning views on Vulcan Etna peaking out Sicily towards West. Behind us the lower peak of Salina with Alicudi and Filicudi islands on the horizon.
We finally reached the top, just in time for the sunset: towards West, the sun was going down in the mist behind Alicudi and Filicudi. Towards South the island of Vulcano, with its big, pale crater (click the picture to enjoy the amazing details). Around us not a single sound, just colors.
 
Then the sun left us, and the moon and the starry sky welcomed the 1000 meter-high, sleepingbagless night. After a few night-sky pictures, the wind raised up bringing creepy noises from the dark forest… suddenly sleeping among the ferns lost its appeal: time to look for a shelter! TO BE CONTINUED
At the shores of Walensee (CH)
Hydrophobia
 
Same-same but different.
Parking bays
Time killer
 Not only birds on the Walensee. Pictures shot on a photographic hike on the north shores of the lake, from Weesen to Seeren.
Fructum vitis et operis manuum hominum: Quinten (CH)
On the north shores of Walensee, pass by Quinten and its wine cellars: Blauburgunder, Chardonnay, Merlot and much more awaits you. Fructum vitis et operis manuum hominum sound in English like: “which earth has given and human hands have made”
